Pei Luo didn’t notice the curious glances Fu Yunqing cast her way. She chatted casually with him for a while, then left—after all, it wasn’t proper for a man and a woman to be alone together for too long. Before leaving, Fu Yunqing told her to seek his help whenever necessary and handed her two hundred taels as consultation fees. He explained that most of his possessions had been robbed by bandits during his travels, so the remaining fees would have to wait until their next meeting. Pei Luo trusted him and left after bidding farewell.
By the time she returned from the county, it was already afternoon. The two children had only eaten leftovers, which made her heart ache. Since all the street vendors had closed, she couldn’t bring them anything, so she quickly prepared a meat dish for them. After they went to sleep, Pei Luo entered her space to check on her previously planted medicinal herbs.
The once barren black soil had transformed into a lush garden—every inch covered in herbs. Even her fruits and vegetables had matured, some so heavy with produce that branches were bending under the weight. Pei Luo’s previous worries about food completely vanished. With this space, starvation was impossible.
She began harvesting the mature produce, leaving only those that could continue growing and replanting new seeds. She noticed many herbs were already ready for collection, especially the fast-growing ones. Remarkably, the space accelerated growth exponentially: what normally took a month outside could mature in a single day, meaning a three-month cycle could be completed in just three days. This meant she could endlessly cultivate crops and herbs.
Despite the tempting idea of growing grains herself, Pei Luo decided against it—it would be too time-consuming to harvest daily. Focusing on medicinal herbs like ginseng, lingzhi, and he shou wu would yield far greater value. Selling just a fraction of these could make her a fortune.
As she imagined this prosperous future, Pei Luo felt optimistic and resolved to continue collecting merit points for the space.
Just as harvest time approached, rain began to fall. At first, the villagers thought it would be a brief shower, but each day the rain grew heavier. The villagers grew anxious. The village chief and many others stood in the fields, hoping the rain would stop.
“Village Chief, what can we do? The wheat is sprouting… Heavens, it’s as if there’s no way out,” an elderly villager exclaimed.
Most wheat had already sprouted, with only a few late-planted fields still viable, though showing early signs of mold. Women sat helplessly in the mud, realizing the rains had destroyed nearly all hope of a proper harvest. The region’s food supply was on the brink, and this disaster would affect all nearby towns.
Pei Luo realized the true meaning of “relying on heaven for sustenance.” Crop success or failure depended entirely on the weather. Watching the villagers’ despair, she felt powerless—agriculture was foreign to her, and she had no way to reverse nature’s wrath.
Fortunately, she had already stocked up on food, so her personal plans for rebuilding her house were temporarily on hold. Others were too busy salvaging crops to assist, and she had no land of her own at the time, so she needn’t worry about wheat spoilage for herself.
Though the rain eventually stopped, most wheat had sprouted and could not be harvested normally. Villagers worked tirelessly in the fields, some crying as they tried to salvage what they could, but much of the crop was ruined. The total loss in Yuzhou was devastating—ten to ninety percent of the harvest was gone. Only a small fraction survived, far from enough to sustain the community until the next season.
Even Madame Lu fainted from frustration over her ruined fields. The village chief, too, wore a constant frown. Those who kept livestock could use the sprouted wheat as feed, but all wheat needed to be cut, whether for fodder or firewood, so as not to hinder the next planting season.
Seeing the villagers toil in desperation, Pei Luo realized this was a disaster beyond her control. She approached the village chief and advised, “Village Chief, these wheat crops are no longer usable. While grain prices are still reasonable, it would be wise to use whatever silver the villagers have to stock up on food. If we wait until prices rise, it may be impossible to survive until the next harvest.”
This chapter paints a vivid picture of the fragility of rural life, showing that even the most careful preparations can be undone by the forces of nature—and that foresight and quick action are sometimes the only safeguards against disaster.